So I wanted to add wireless connectivity to my Dell XPS 200 desktop PC, but its one of these small form factor (SFF) PC’s so I needed to find a low profile wireless card that would fit in my Dell XPS 200 desktop PC. My computer is old, but still is in good working order so I want to add to its functionality by making it wireless so I can place it anywhere in my home. Because of its size I was planning on using it as a Media Room PC.
Ok if your not in a rush and are able to check eBay daily for great deals on computer parts you may find some exceptional deals. I found a “HP Anatel RT3090PCIE-C1 3025-09-4419 LP Low Profile Wireless PCI-E WLAN Card” within my budget for this upgrade. When buying previously own parts look for words like “tested, pulled from a working system, new, and guaranty no DOA (Dead On Arrival).”
The HP Anatel RT3090PCIE-C1 3025-09-4419 LP Low Profile Wireless PCI-E WLAN Card arrived and I forgot to mention this card did not come with an antenna and no installation disc or any set up guides. As far as the antenna any RP-SMA antenna will work. I already had a RP-SMA antenna I was not using. If you don’t have one they are readily available on eBay and are not expensive at all.
When installing the card and you are running Windows XP the OS will not install the drivers automatically. No fret you can get it here (click here). When I did this on my Dell XPS 200 the file downloaded just fine and it extracted just fine, but it would not continue to install; the install program just stops after the extraction with no indications. Note remember where it exacted this is important because in this folder there is a Drivers folder that has the driver you need.
The workaround. In Windows XP right click on My Computer, click on Properties, click on Hardware tab, click on the Device Manager button. When you see the Device Manager window you will notice an “unknown device” with a yellow check mark next to it. Right click on it and click on “Update Driver” now browse to the location of the Driver folder select the Windows XP driver and now wait until it the OS finishes installing the driver. When its done you will see in the Device Manager no unknown devices (no yellow check marks) and you will find the wireless card in your Network Adapters listing.
The performance. The HP Anatel RT3090PCIE-C1 3025-09-4419 LP Low Profile Wireless PCI-E WLAN Card works great! I was really impressed with the speed keep in mind all of my PC’s are 4-7 years old! Awhile back I bought a wireless-N router at a Black Friday sale, but this was my first wireless-N card I installed in one of my PC’s and wow now I want to upgrade my other PC’s with wireless-N connectivity. The HP Anatel RT3090PCIE-C1 3025-09-4419 LP Low Profile Wireless PCI-E WLAN Card was connecting at 135 Mbps! The computer I’m on right now is connected with a wireless-G PCI card and it’s connecting at 36 Mbps.
Note if you are running Windows 7 then the HP Anatel RT3090PCIE-C1 3025-09-4419 LP Low Profile Wireless PCI-E WLAN Card will install automatically no need to hunt for the drivers. If you have any questions about this install or want to find out how it’s performing then please leave a comment and I will get back with you. Have a great day!
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